The Ancient Saint Emperor of the Heaven-shading

Chapter 227 Slaying the Corpse to Escape Reincarnation, the Emperor's Evil Depravity Leads to Despair for the Immortal
A bizarre incident occurred on the path to immortality: the Emperor killed several Supreme Beings and even poured water into the Immortal Gate, yet he still could not open it—a truly strange occurrence.

Now, only the Emperor remains in the arena; the conditions of immortality, annihilation, and freedom can be met.

As for Chuanying, the God Lord, and the Divine Phoenix Maiden, they were naturally useless, as they had not truly attained enlightenment.

The atmosphere suddenly became strange. Even though the Emperor hadn't made a move or shown any intention to attack them, the three Heavenly Venerables' expressions turned grim. Could it be that the Emperor would sacrifice himself?
Or is he going to leave the path to immortality to sacrifice himself to other supreme beings?
Totally impossible!
But for the Emperor, this was indeed an unexpected turn of events. He had deciphered from the stone tablet that a supreme imperial being was needed to open the immortal gate, but he hadn't expected that there was more than one. In fact, even after he had offered sacrifices to several, there was still no reaction, which was unusual.

Is someone secretly sabotaging us? Or is someone from the other side of the Immortal Realm obstructing us?
The Emperor pondered for a moment, and suddenly felt a pang of regret that Cao Yusheng and Wang Hongwu were not by his side, and that there was no one to help him.

The three Heavenly Venerables recruited were all rebellious individuals.

"Fellow Daoists, what are you waiting for! The Emperor is ruthless; he only wants to sacrifice all of us to fulfill his own desires!"

At this moment, the Celestial Venerable of Immortality acted with utmost decisiveness, using his backup plan to reverse the Immortal Array, break the original order, and turn around to besiege and kill the Emperor Venerable!

"Indeed, he sacrificed the serpent, sacrificed the underworld, and even wants to sacrifice us as well. Emperor, your ambition should end!" The Carefree Celestial Venerable also made a move, his timeless light bursting forth. He joined forces with the Annihilation Celestial Venerable, and the three of them instantly occupied the Undying Immortal Array, receiving the blessing of supreme power.

"Eternal Life Celestial Venerable! You scoundrel! His Majesty appointed you to manage the Underworld, and you've become a traitor?!" Inside another important formation, Chuan Ying roared in anger. When these words came out, they shocked the supreme beings in the universe. It turned out that the Eternal Life Celestial Venerable had led the rebellion against the Emperor.
On the arduous path to immortality, the Emperor remained silent, only making his move in stillness. He continued his assault on the path, believing that leading his entire sect to immortality was not only his dream but also the culmination of the efforts of the Underworld Lord and the Bright Lord. This was the achievement of a generation, and he could not give it up.

Boom! He gripped the Immortal Ascension Cauldron and furiously attacked the Immortal Gate, forcefully widening the gap. Clearly, blood sacrifice was only one of the conditions for opening it; more importantly, immense power was required.

At the right time and in the right place, the cost of entering the Immortal Realm is minimal; but at other times, the difficulty of breaking through the barriers of the Immortal Realm is immense.

However, even if he did this, the remaining three Heavenly Venerables would not give up, because they had already begun to rebel, and there was no choice but to completely annihilate the Emperor Venerable.

What's more, they also want to become immortals!
"'Netherworld Emperor,' make your move!" Then, the Eternal Heavenly Venerable spoke coldly, cleaving the heavens and earth with a single sword strike. In the distance, an ancient figure emerged from the Netherworld, clad in black armor, with only dark light flowing around him. Even across countless starry skies, the aura of death still sent shivers down one's spine, as if facing a dead immortal.

His head was completely covered by a black Nether Iron helmet, with only his eyes and mouth showing. Not even a strand of hair could be seen, making it impossible to discern his true appearance. He carried a Heavenly Halberd on his back, held a Nether Spear and a Black Gold Shield in his hand, and also possessed a terrifying Heavenly Nether Treasure. He also attacked the Emperor!
"Impersonating my master and wielding his weapon, you dare to challenge me?!" The Emperor turned around, his eyes cold, and suddenly made a move. With a wave of his Immortal Ascension Cauldron, he shook off the Heavenly Nether Treasure. Then, he unleashed a fierce attack, his supreme fist power shattering the universe, directly blasting the Prison Suppressor Heavenly Venerable away. He exploded on the spot, covered in blood.

What a powerful emperor! The Prison Suppressor Heavenly Venerable, upon reassembling his physical body, couldn't help but sigh. Even after reaching the pinnacle of his cultivation, his physical body was still shattered by a single punch. The Lord of Heaven was indeed terrifying. Earlier, he hadn't believed in the claim of immortality, but now it seemed he had been careless.

The next moment, he also stepped into the Immortal Array, joining forces with the three Heavenly Venerables to control the Nine Secrets Unified Immortal Array and attack the Emperor Venerable together!
"Fellow Daoists, are all our efforts in this life for nothing? Today, our performance is even worse than that of mortals! What an irony!" The God Lord said sadly, trying to persuade them, not wanting to see a scene of infighting.

Chuan Ying was also indignant, staring intently at Changsheng Tianzun. Shenhuang Goddess stood to the side with a cold expression. The three of them worked together to help the Emperor fight against the rebels.

"Because we have no other chance. This is the last battle we can have in this lifetime. Who doesn't want to become an immortal?" The Celestial Venerable of Annihilation sighed. Helpless, they did not trust the Emperor, and the Emperor did not trust them. This situation was inevitable. In the end, they would fight to the death at the gates of immortality.

If it weren't for the words on those two stone tablets, things wouldn't have turned out this way, but now, it's irreversible.

Boom! At this moment, under the Emperor's full-force attack, the immortal gate in front slowly opened, revealing a bizarre and unpredictable immortal realm.

The Heavenly Gate opened, revealing a vast world that immediately startled everyone, who all turned to look. Was someone really going to become an immortal today?

A fierce rain of light swept in, like one divine flower after another blooming, dazzling and passionate, its light illuminating the ages and spanning the entire ancient history of all living beings.

"Is this really the Immortal Realm?!" Even the Celestial Venerable of Immortality was somewhat dazed. It was both surprising and unsettling, feeling like something out of a dream.

The realms of freedom and annihilation fell silent. Through countless ages, they had resorted to any means necessary to survive, enduring immense suffering.

What is it all for? Just for this moment, to ascend to the Immortal Realm and truly become an immortal!
Clang! The next moment, a muffled thunderous sound startled everyone. The Immortal Ascension Cauldron flew up, intending to crash into the Immortal Realm, but it was hit hard. Immortal runes flickered at the entrance.

The Emperor blasted open the Immortal Gate, trying to create a passage for everyone to enter, but he was blocked in front of the Heavenly Gate, unable to move forward or backward. On the other side, a mysterious power was surging.

But in the eyes of the people behind, the rain of light was falling and the immortal aura was endless; it seemed that he was about to become an immortal!

How could the Four Celestial Venerables tolerate this? They all made their moves, unleashing supreme divine techniques with earth-shattering killing power. Their near-immortal might even made the path to immortality tremble. With the blessing of the immortal array, they had already acquired the power of immortal techniques.

Chuan Ying and the God Lord were naturally unable to stop them and were forced to retreat while coughing up blood. Only the Emperor, who was trapped and unable to advance or retreat, personally took action and used his supreme divine power to suppress and block the four's attack.

"No, something is affecting the Emperor. Is it the barrier of the Immortal Realm? Or the beings on the other side?"

"I can sense that the laws on the other side are different. If we step through that door, our ultimate power might be transformed!"

"Something's strange. Becoming an immortal is rather terrifying. Does it mean that once you cross that threshold, you'll never be compatible with your original world again?"

The four Heavenly Venerables changed color, realizing something was wrong. They all wanted to go in and undergo transformation, but this process required time and there was no way to stop it. Even the mighty Emperor Venerable was stuck there.

At this moment, they charged forward again, disregarding everything, to stop it all, because becoming an immortal was also their goal.

"Ascension to immortality! The Emperor is about to become an immortal?" "Stop him!"

"Let's join forces and not let him enjoy the immortal destiny all to himself!"

And it wasn't just them; from the Primordial Ancient Mine and Burial Sky Island, Supreme Beings who had reached the pinnacle of their power rushed over and joined the attack.

Chaos erupted in the area, a fierce battle broke out, divine spells flew, and laws spread out, intertwining one after another to form a brilliant net of light.

On the path to immortality, chaos reigns in Heaven; on the path of reincarnation, the heavens collapse.

As the black mist encroached, the remaining corpses used their last resort to destroy this formidable enemy.

Wang Hongwu shuddered, his body enveloped in black mist, his soul stiffened, and he was subjected to a strange shock, as if he were about to be replaced by another person.

The dormant murderous intent and subconscious negative emotions suddenly erupted, making him become extreme and insane.

He seemed to be undergoing a rebirth, a completely new self about to take over his mind, kill the original soul, and seize this body—it was terrifying.

Buzz! At the critical moment, Wang Hongwu activated the Myriad Paths Fist and the Wheel of Life and Death of the Heavens, combining the two to evolve the stone mill engraved with golden characters, resisting the erosion and grinding and suppressing that power.

This thing is designed to grind and digest matter, so it naturally has a miraculous effect, restoring consciousness and making combat power even stronger under its stimulation.

"You deserve to die!" In the next moment, he roared with murderous intent, forcefully resisting the corrosive effects of matter as he attacked. His fist imprint covered the sky, and his five fingers dragged out five true dragons that stood tall and proud, swallowing the universe and heading straight for the corpse.

"How come you haven't been corrupted or fallen?" The remnant was stunned, finding it somewhat unbelievable. However, no one would explain it to him. In an instant, the ripples of the Great Dao spread out, tearing open this universe. The force of the True Dragon Fist pierced through his body and swept across this desolate world.

The corpse changed color. Just now, he had been injured because of the restraint of the Myriad Paths Fist and was seriously injured by the opponent's peerless fist aura. Now that Wang Hongwu was fighting so desperately, he was even more wary and wanted to retreat and use the Immortal Array to assist in the battle. However, a corner of the Six Paths Wheel flew out of the opponent's body, directly tearing through the Immortal Array and hitting his body.

Bang! With a single strike of the roulette wheel, the starry sky shattered, the heavens and earth collapsed, and ghosts wailed and gods howled. The mangled corpse was directly ripped open alive, unable to withstand the power of the supreme immortal artifact. Then, Wang Hongwu's fist imprint arrived, and the dragon fist pierced through the air, instantly blasting half of his body apart. Blood rained down in the sky, making the scene incredibly tragic.

Ah! The mutilated corpse screamed in agony, never expecting that its attempt to erode the opponent would instead fuel their arrogance. It was truly a bitter pill to swallow. At the same time, its severed body was also using its supreme immortal power to ignite its own silver immortal blood, intending to sacrifice itself to Wang Hongwu. Neither side would back down, and they clashed head-on, abandoning their defenses. The two immortal techniques struck each other with a devastating force, a true cataclysmic explosion of chaotic energy, completely destroying this desolate universe.

The mutilated corpse was gruesome. Wang Hongwu's fist pierced through its body, and his hands tore open the other's head. Both of them were concentrating their power, their bodies covered in patterns, and supernatural rules emerged. Their bodies seemed to be engraved with magic arrays, and the surrounding universe was burning.

The next moment, the Dao Fire split the sky, burning away all paths. The two people's immortal techniques bombarded and ravaged the cosmic sea, extremely terrifying. It caused terrible phenomena on this cycle of reincarnation, as if the gods were crying, as if true immortals were falling. As dusk fell, a mournful wind blew, and all living beings in the world lost their souls and became walking corpses.

The corpse's flesh was burning. He ignited all the immortal blood, turning it into a furnace to refine Wang Hongwu. In that furnace, Wang Hongwu, in the state of the Nine Secrets in One, unleashed a series of killing moves. The Extreme Secret was activated, and the Qi transformed into myriad spirits. He also unleashed the Six Paths of Reincarnation, Dragon Tail Swing, Qilin Heavenly Diagram, Myriad Paths Fist, Thunder Path Nine Absolute Heaven, True Phoenix Burning Heaven Technique, and Kunpeng Fighting Heaven Technique. The six great immortal techniques, amplified six times, were unleashed at the same time, destroying the heavens and the earth.

Boom! The two sides unleashed their ultimate attacks simultaneously, cleaving through the vast universe, revealing eternal life, and even unleashing the light of immortals.

In the end, the Immortal Blood Furnace exploded, pierced by the terrifying combined immortal techniques, and shattered into pieces. The remaining corpse tried to escape, but it was no match for Wang Hongwu's extreme speed. With a spin of the Six Paths Wheel in his hand, he slammed it down, instantly pulverizing the remaining corpse. A wisp of its true spirit tried to escape, but it was blasted apart by Wang Hongwu's punch!
Ah! The remnant spirit of a once-powerful immortal was thus blasted to death, falling at the hands of beings in the human realm.

The next moment, the Six Paths Wheel roared, collecting the countless immortal blood and remains, transforming them into a mark on it.

Upon closer inspection, in addition to the Emperor and the Immortal, there is also a picture of a crippled immortal shedding blood.

Amidst the flying debris, Wang Hongwu stood alone, his expression indifferent. He personally slew the mutilated corpse, and a near-immortal being perished.

This is astonishing. Reaching the pinnacle of the Ninth Heaven, one can kill a mutilated spirit corpse. This is unimaginably powerful, and one has not even paid the high price like Lingbao Tianzun.

"If you get contaminated with this substance, you have to go to the stone mill to get rid of it."

With a clear mind, he decisively headed towards the City of Light and Death, quickly arriving at the place he had explored before. The place was still the same as before, filled with corpses, all of whom were once powerful and influential, constantly falling into the huge, rough stone millstone that occupied a third of the entire city, being ground into blood and mud.

He arrived before the rough stone millstone, his left hand manifesting the Wheel of Life and Death, and his right hand manifesting the Myriad Fists, together outlining the strange divine form of a small millstone, resonating with it, and calmly stepped inside, being regarded as a being of the same kind.

Then Wang Hongwu released the restraints, allowing the stone millstone to begin crushing him, causing his unparalleled physical body to disintegrate. In an instant, ghosts howled and gods roared, and a large amount of black mist surged up from his body, transforming into various creatures that screamed shrilly and were extremely ferocious.

Even his consciousness trembled slightly, and a wisp of light black substance floated out of his primordial spirit. It was forced out of him. Although he was in extreme pain, he remained indifferent as he examined the substance and considered whether he could make use of it.

The fifty golden symbols inside the millstone flickered, grinding away the light black substance, and various terrifying figures emerged, extremely chilling.

There were immortals with blood dripping from their eyes roaring to the sky in grief, fallen kings spreading their wings, true dragons coughing up blood, and fallen phoenixes striking the heavens. All the creatures that appeared seemed to be corrupted, devoid of any sacred aura. Even the phantom of Wang Hongwu appeared among them, appearing particularly demonic.

Then, their forms changed again, exploding into light black matter, and then reforming themselves. Some became ancient figures wearing celestial robes, while others became mysterious statues sitting high in the ninth heaven. However, their eyes were dripping blood, exuding evil aura, and were ferocious and eerie, which was very abnormal.

Under the grinding of the golden millstone, they exploded again, the matter boiled, unwilling to be ground up, and struggled fiercely.

Wang Hongwu knew what its origin was, but the thing in front of him had evolved through many iterations and was not as corrosive.

In the end, the golden symbols on the millstone flew out and directly suppressed all the strange phenomena, bringing everything back to peace.

Wang Hongwu's body, which had turned into bloody mud, began to regenerate. The immortal blood he had collected earlier was refined and transformed into a supreme medicine to nourish him and help him reassemble his body. Although he was covered in blood, it was only due to the effects of the stone mill and he was not seriously injured.

After the dark substance was completely removed, a soft light shone from the millstone into his reconstructed body, making him feel much lighter, as if a layer of mud had been smeared on his body.

At this moment, he had an even greater realization: his mind was clear and his comprehension and physical constitution were elevated, and his performance of the Myriad Paths Fist was also stronger. Several more characters appeared on it, reaching nine!

This is like a rebirth; after eliminating hidden dangers, one transforms and returns to one's true self.

"A great calamity is also a blessing; it all depends on whether one can survive it. We should really leave Old Duan here. His Tribulation-Crossing Heavenly Technique is perfect for him. He'll behave himself after being crushed a few more times."

Wang Hongwu thought of Cao Yusheng, who was undergoing tribulation in the Chaotic Immortal Land, and couldn't help but sigh, wondering how the great battle outside was going.

He took a step, about to leave the millstone, when he suddenly realized that the five fingers that had been ground into dust were not completely gone.

However, there was no longer any strangeness or ominousness. After being completely purified, it was restored to a special substance. He suspected that it was originally an amazing thing, but it had been corrupted. Now, returning to its original state, it has reproduced its original form and substance.

A thought struck him, and he collected it, transforming it into a floating, earth-like substance within his body. It floated quietly, and although it was very thin, it possessed an ancient Daoist charm.

"That's right. This millstone originally came from the main courtyard of the bronze coffin, so it has a special effect on this kind of substance."

After sighing and finishing all that, Wang Hongwu walked out of the stone mill and continued forward along the path of reincarnation until he reached the end again. There was a railing surrounding an ancient cave, and an ancient clay statue sat quietly, guarding the end of the path of reincarnation.

This stone statue sits here not merely in a state of peaceful slumber, but guarding this path, preventing certain things from entering the cycle of reincarnation.

Though lifeless and still, it silently watches over everything, awaiting the return of a being.

Wang Hongwu bowed to the clay statue, and a wisp of soil from his body burned and fell into the incense burner in front of the statue. Instantly, golden ripples bloomed, and a crack opened again.

Outside, the moment Wang Hongwu entered the millstone, he was crushed, and all fluctuations became imperceptible, not even a trace of his aura remained. This was a tremendous change for everyone in the Heavenly Court.

"Something went wrong?" Even the Emperor was shocked, his expression one of disbelief. He turned to look at Earth, a desolate thought surfacing in his mind.

Has the future hope of Heaven, the successor, disappeared into the cycle of reincarnation?

"No!" the Divine Phoenix Maiden screamed, her long hair whipping wildly as she glared angrily at the Emperor, believing him to be the culprit.

"Die, all of you die!" The next moment, inside the Ten Thousand Demon Tower, the snake laughed loudly, and a large bell stained with Kunlun blood flew over, and following its guidance, it fell into the hands of Changsheng and Xiaoyao.

"Emperor, how dare you be distracted at a time like this? Die!" Changsheng grinned maliciously and directly wielded the Immortal Bell to strike.

Faced with this attack, the Emperor, immersed in grief over the disappearance of the Mingzun, ignored it and did not even defend himself.

"Your Majesty, be careful!" At this moment, the God Lord roared, trying to awaken the Emperor who had lost his mind. He rushed forward without regard for anything and used his physical body to block the falling immortal bell.

How could he possibly stop him?

The only outcome was death. The supreme being of divine blood was instantly shattered by the immortal bell, and his primordial spirit vanished into nothingness.

The scalding blood splattered onto the Emperor's face, causing this powerful ruler to glare angrily and suddenly roar!

Roar! A loud roar sent the Eternal Heavenly Venerable flying, and even the Immortal Bell was knocked away. He reached out to reassemble the flesh and blood and remnant soul of the God Lord, trying to revive him, but it was all in vain.

The god is dead.

"Your Majesty!" Chuan Ying cried anxiously, wanting to rush to his aid, but the Emperor pushed him away with his palm, saying, "Go, leave this body sealed for the next life."

With that, he knocked Chuanying off the path to immortality, sealed him with immortal essence, and pressed him into a stone coffin.

With the Mingzun gone and the God Lord dead, he did not want the First God General to also perish in battle; the Heavenly Court needed to preserve its flame.

At that moment, the celestial bell that had been knocked away fell into the hands of the Divine Phoenix Maiden.

"You value the path to immortality above all else, but today, I will make you lose it all!" The Divine Phoenix Maiden attacked fiercely, unleashing the Immortal Bell once more, instantly blasting the Emperor Venerable out of the Immortal Gate. She herself rushed forward, not to enter the Immortal Realm, but to observe.

"Not my hometown!" Then, she was disappointed, because although there were fragments of the Immortal Realm behind the Immortal Gate, they were not the fragments from which she was born. However, another node near the Immortal Path caught her attention.

That seemed to be a strange world containing substances that promote longevity!

If there is no way in the world, how can one survive?

At this moment, the scene of the Divine Phoenix Maiden wielding the bell and knocking the Emperor out of the Immortal Gate caused an uproar throughout the Heavenly Court. The Supreme Beings who witnessed this scene were all astonished, never expecting such a thing to happen.

At this moment, the Emperor who had been blasted out of the Immortal Gate did not make a move. His face showed guilt, regret, and resentment. Everything that had happened today was too crazy.

His master was gone, his most trusted successor disappeared while suppressing the cycle of reincarnation, his subordinates who had helped him ascend to immortality betrayed him, his long-desired immortal realm was blocked, his collaborator who had explored the immortal realm with him wielded the Immortal Bell and struck him in the back, and his most loyal subordinate from the Imperial Path died before his eyes to save him. His scalding blood splattered on his face, like a knife piercing his heart.

The combined blows were enough to drive Huangdao mad.

Even the Emperor himself found it hard to accept, his expression one of grief and madness, followed by a desolate laugh.

"The road to immortality, a desolate dream, just a dream!"

Everything's gone! Haha, nothing's left. What kind of immortals are we talking about? Just die!

Finally, black mist surged within his body, and he became extremely violent and insane. He actually swung the Immortal Ascension Cauldron and smashed it towards the Immortal Gate.

"Your Majesty, what are you doing! Are you trying to destroy any hope of becoming an immortal?!"

"Your Majesty, you've gone mad!" "No, no! The hope of becoming an immortal!"

"Stop! Stop it now!"

The four celestial beings could no longer sit still and frantically tried to stop it and salvage the situation.

The Emperor turned around, his eyes dark and exceptionally fierce. "Mad? Hahaha, go tell my secret of the word 'all'!"

(End of this chapter)